The 63rd NHK Cup, or as it is officially known the was a professional shogi tournament organized by the Japan Shogi Association and sponsored by Japan's public broadcaster NHK. Play began on April 7, 2013, and ended on March 23, 2014. The 50-player single elimination tournament was won by Masataka Gōda. All of the tournament games were shown on NHK-E. The during the NHK-E broadcasts was female professional Rieko Yauchi.
Participants
Preliminary tournaments A total of 130 professional shogi players competed in 18 preliminary tournaments to qualify for the main tournament. These tournaments were non-televised one-day tournaments held at the Tokyo Shogi Kaikan and the Kansai Shogi Kaikan. Each tournament consisted of seven or eight players. The initial time control for each player was 20 minutes followed by a 30-second byōyomi.
The female professional seed was Hatsumi Ueda. Brackets from two of the preliminary tournaments are shown below.
Main tournament The first time control for main tournament games was ten minutes per player. Once this was used up, a second time control of 10 one-minute periods of began. Each player was given 30 seconds to make their move. If they did so, then no thinking time periods were used. If, however, they did not, a thinking time period began and they then had up to one minute (more specifically 59 seconds) to make a move before entering the next thinking time period. This process was repeated until a player had used all ten thinking time periods when the final byōyomi time control of 30 seconds per move began. Sente was determined prior to each game by piece toss.
The 50 players listed below qualified for the main tournament.
No. Name Rank/Title A1 Akira Watanabe NHK Cup A2 Shōji Segawa 5d A3 Akihito Hirose7d A4 Yasuaki Murayama 6d A5 Kōru Abe 4d A6 Amahiko Satō 7d A7 Takayuki Yamasaki7d A8Yasumitsu Satō ōshō A9 Tomohiro Murata 6d A10 Masayuki Toyoshima 7d A11 Kazuhiro Nishikawa 4d A12 Hatsumi Ueda W3d A13 Kōji Tanigawa 9d A14 Kōichi Fukaura 9d A15 Kōhei Funae 5d A16 Tetsurō Itodani 6d A17 Daisuke Nakagawa 8d A18 Ayumu Matsuo 7d A19 Toshiyuki MoriuchiMeijin A20 Michio Takahashi9d A21 Taichi Nakamura 6d A22 Hirotaka Nozuki 7d A23 7d A24 Takuya Nagase 5d A25 Masataka GōdaKiōNo. NameRank/Title B1 Yoshiharu Habu 3 crown B2 Kensuke Kitahama7d B3 Kazuki Kimura8d B4 Masahiko Urano 8d B5 Tadashi Ōishi4d B6 Hisashi Namekata8d B7 Manabu Senzaki 8d B8 Nobuyuki Yashiki9d B9 Mamoru Hatakeyama 7d B10 9d B11 Hiroki Nakata8d B12 Yūki Sasaki 4d B13 Takanori Hashimoto8d B14 Tadahisa Maruyama 9d B15 Taichi Takami4d B16 Eiji Iijima 7d B17 Keita Inoue9d B18 Kōta Kanai5d B19 Toshiaki Kubo 9d B20 Hiroyuki Miura8d B21 Chikara Akutsu 7d B22 Isao Nakata7d B23 Hiroki Iizuka 7d B24 Issei Takazaki6d B25 Daisuke Suzuki8d
Notes: "No." represents the bracket position of the player in their respective block and "Rank/Title" represents the rank or titles held by the player when the original bracket finalized. A grading system is used for ranking players. Players whose names are in bold were seeded directly into the main tournament as follows: 62nd NHK Cup (four players): Watanabe (champion), Habu (runner-up), Suzuki (semifinalist) and Gōda (semifinalist). Seven major titleholders (two players): Moriuchi (Meijin) and Satō (ōshō) Class A (six players): Miura, Tanigawa, Yashiki, Takahashi, Hashimoto and Fukaura Class B1 (twelve players): Maruyama, Kubo, Akutsu, Kimura, Namekata, Yamasaki, Inoue, Matsuo, Nakata, Hatakeyama, Hirose and Iizuka Other tournament winners (one player): Nagase (Shinjin-Ō) Women's professional (one player): Ueda Women's 3 dan (Mynavi Women's Shogi Open Champion) Others with outstanding records (six players): Iijima (Class B2), Toyoshima (Class B2), Murayama (Class C1), Itodani (Class C1), Nakamura (Class C1), Ōishi (Class C2) Among these 32 seeds, the following 14 were given byes in round 1 and began play in round 2: Watanabe, Habu, Suzuki, Gōda, Moriuchi, Satō, Miura, Tanigawa, Yashiki, Takahashi, Hashimoto, Fukaura, Maruyama, and Kubo. The remaining players qualified by winning preliminary tournaments.
The bracket at the start of the tournament is shown below.
Results Winners are listed in bold. "Date" refers to the date the game was broadcast. Dan and titles are as of the date the game was broadcast. "Guest Analyst" refers to the kishi who provided expert commentary during the broadcast. "No. of moves" refers to the total number of moves played in the game.
Round 1 A total of 18 games were played in round 1. Play began on April 7, 2013, and ended on August 8, 2013. The 18 preliminary tournament winners were paired against 18 seeded players.
No. Block Sente Gote No. of moves Date Guest Analyst 1ATaichi Nakamura 6dHirotaka Nozuki 7d 165 April 7, 2013 Chikara Akutsu 7d2 B Eiji Iijima 7d Taichi Takami 4d97 April 14, 2013 Kiyokazu Katsumata 6d3 A Kōji Horiguchi 7d Takuya Nagase 5d 106 April 21, 2013 Osamu Nakamura 9d4 B Keiji Mori 9d Mamoru Hatakeyama 7d 109 April 28, 2013 Bungo Fukusaki 9d5 B Hiroki Nakata 8d Yūki Sasaki 4d 105 May 5, 2013 9d6 A Daisuke Nakagawa 8d Ayumu Matsuo 7d 184 May 12, 2013 Takahiro Toyokawa 7d7 B Tadashi Ōishi 5d Masahiko Urano 8d 113 May 19, 2013 Isao Nakata 7d8 A Amahiko Satō 7d Takayuki Yamasaki 7d155 May 26, 2013 Akira Inaba 6d9 B Hisashi Namekata 8d Manabu Senzaki 8d 119 June 2, 2013 Yoshiharu Habu 3 crown10B Kensuke Kitahama 8d Kazuki Kimura 8d 150 June 9, 2013 Nobuyuki Yashiki 9d 11B Isao Nakata 7d Chikara Akutsu 7d 120 June 16, 2013 Masahiko Urano 8d12B Kōta Kanai 4d Keita Inoue 9d 119 June 23, 2013 Tadao Kitajima 6d 13AYasuaki Murayama 6d Kōru Abe 4d 143June 30, 2013 Taichi Nakamura 6d 14A Tetsurō Itodani 6d Kōhei Funae 5d 176 July 7, 2013 Takayuki Yamasaki 7d 15BIssei Takazaki 6d Hiroki Iizuka 7d119 July 14, 2013 Daisuke Nakagawa 8d16A Akihito Hirose 7d Shōji Seigawa 5d 151 July 21, 2013 Eiji Iijima 7d17ATomohiro Murata 6d Masayuki Toyoshima 7d 138 July 28, 2013 Takashi Abe 8d 18A Hatsumi Ueda W3d Kazuhiro Nishikawa 4d 112August 4, 2013 Makoto Tobe 6d
Round 2 A total of 16 games were played in round 2. Play began on August 11, 2013, and ended on November 24, 2013. The 18 winners from round 1 were joined by the 14 players who had received round 1 byes.
No. Block Sente Gote No. of moves Date Guest Analyst 1BKeiji Mori 9d Nobuyuki Yashiki 9d 96 August 11, 2013 Michio Takahashi 9d2 A Toshiyuki Moriuchi Meijin Ayumu Matsuo 7d125 August 18, 2013 Hirotaka Nozuki 7d3 A Taichi Nakamura 6d Michio Takahashi 9d 104 August 25, 2013 Kōichi Fukaura 9d4 BEiji Iijima 7d Tadahisa Maruyama 9d 88 September 1, 2013 Akira Watanabe NHK Cup5 A Amahiko Satō 7d Yasuaki Murayama 6d 120 September 8, 2013 Kazuki Kimura 8d6 B Kōta Kanai 5d Toshiaki Kubo 9d 117 September 15, 2013 Takeshi Fujii 9d7 B Daisuke Suzuki 8d Issei Takazaki 6d 212 September 22, 2013 Manabu Senzaki 8d8 AMasayuki Toyoshima 7d Yasumitsu Satō 9d103 September 29, 2013 Kōji Tanigawa 9d9 A Akira Watanabe NHK Cup Akihito Hirose 7d 98 October 6, 2013 Amahiko Satō 7d10B Hiroki Nakata 8d Takanori Hashimoto 8d 117 October 13, 2013 Ayumu Matsuo 7d 11A Kōji Tanigawa 9d Kazuhiro Nishikawa 4d 124 October 20, 2013 Toshiaki Kubo 9d12B Yoshiharu Habu 3 crown Kazuki Kimura 8d 131 October 27, 2013 Yasumitsu Satō 9d 13AMasataka Gōda 9d Takuya Nagase 6d 105November 3, 2013 Taku Morishita 9d 14B Hiroyuki Miura 9d Chikara Akutsu 7d 99 November 10, 2013 Hisashi Namekata 8d 15BTadashi Ōishi 6dHisashi Namekata 8d 77 November 17, 2013 Kensuke Kitahama 8d16AKōhei Funae 5d Kōichi Fukaura 9d 85 November 24, 2013 Mamoru Hatakeyama 7d
Round 3 Play began on December 1, 2013, and ended on January 26, 2014. Out of the 18 preliminary tournament winners, only the following four made it to round 3: Kanai 5d, Nishikawa 4d, Takazaki 6d and Funae 5d
No. Block Sente Gote No. of moves Date Guest Analyst 1BTadahisa Maruyama 9d Kōta Kanai 5d149 December 1, 2013 Masataka Gōda 9d2 A Akihito Hirose 7d Yasuaki Murayama 6d124 December 8, 2013 Daisuke Suzuki 8d3 AMasataka Gōda 9d Michio Takahashi 9d 81 December 15, 2013 Osamu Nakamura 9d4 B Yoshiharu Habu 3 crown Tadashi Ōishi 6d 126 December 22, 2013 Takayuki Yamasaki 8d5 B Hiroyuki Miura 9d Issei Takazaki 6d 163 January 5, 2014 Akihito Hirose 7d6 B Nobuyuki Yashiki 9d Hiroki Nakata 8d 129 January 12, 2014 Akira Shima 9d7 A Toshiyuki Moriuchi 2 crown Kōhei Funae 5d 117 January 19, 2014 Takashi Abe 8d8 A Masayuki Toyoshima 7d Kazuhiro Nishikawa 4d154 January 26, 2014 Akira Inaba 7d
Quarterfinals The eight remaining players were paired off against each other with play beginning on February 2 and ending on February 23, 2014. Only one major titleholder, Moriuchi 2 crown, made it as far as the quarterfinals.
No. Block Sente Gote No. of moves Date Guest Analyst 1AToshiyuki Moriuchi 2 Crown Masataka Gōda 9d120 February 2, 2014 Yasumitsu Satō 9d2 B Tadahisa Maruyama 9d Hiroyuki Miura 9d117 February 9, 2014 Kazuki Kimura 8d3 A Yoshiaki Murayama 6d Kazuhiro Nishikawa 4d 117 February 16, 2014 Chikara Akutsu 8d4 B Tadashi Ōishi 6d Nobuyuki Yashiki 9d 102 February 23, 2014 Masayuki Toyoshima 7d
Semifinals The two remaining players from each block with paired against each other to determine the respective block winners. The 1st semifinal game between Kazuhiro Nishikawa 4d (sente) and Masataka Gōda 9d (gote) was broadcast on March 2, 2014. Gōda won the game in 128 moves, thus stopping Nishikawa's NHK Cup winning streak at six. The guest analyst was Kunio Naitō 9d. The 2nd semifinal game was between Tadashi Ōishi 6d (sente) and Tadahisa Maruyama 9d (gote). The game was broadcast on March 9, 2014, and won by Maruyama in 104 moves. The guest analyst was Daisuke Katagami 6d.
Finals After 112 preliminary tournament games and 48 main tournament games involving 162 players, Tadashisa Maruyama 9d and Masataka Gōda 9d met in the final broadcast on March 23, 2014. This was the second NHK Cup final appearance for both players: Maruyama defeated Akira Watanabe to win the 55th NHK Cup (2005) and Gōda was runner-up to Daisuke Suzuki in the 49th NHK Cup (1999). The piece toss before the game resulted in Maruyama being sente. Gōda won the game in 82 moves, thus winning the tournament for the first time and becoming the 63rd NHK Cup Champion. The guest analysts for the final match were Toshiyuki Moriuchi 2-crown and Keita Inoue 9d and the hosts of the final were NHK announcer and women's professional Rieko Yauchi.
The game score and a diagram showing the final position is given below. Sente: Tadahisa Maruyama 9d Gote: Masataka Gōda 9d Opening: Yokufudori 1. P-2f, 2. P-3d, 3. P-7f, 4. P-8d, 5. P-2e, 6. P-8e, 7. G-7h, 8. G-3b, 9. P-2d, 10. Px2d, 11. Rx2d, 12. P-8f, 13. Px8f, 14. Rx8f, 15. Rx3d, 16. B-3c, 17. K-5h, 18. K-4a, 19. P-3f, 20. G-5a, 21. N-3g, 22. S-6b, 23. S-3h, 24. S-2b, 25. P-9f, 26. P-9d, 27. N-4e, 28. P*3g, 29. Sx3g, 30. Bx8h+, 31. Sx8h, 32. B*5e, 33. B*7g, 34. Rx7f, 35. R-8d, 36. Bx3g+, 37. Rx8a+, 38. R-7e, 39. G-4h, 40. +Bx4h, 41. Kx4h, 42. Rx4e, 43. B*3d, 44. R-7e, 45. K-5h, 46. S-3c, 47. B-1f, 48. N*6e, 49. P*2d, 50. P*2b, 51. +Rx9a, 52. Nx7g+, 53. Sx7g, 54. B*3g, 55. N*3e, 56. P*3d, 57. L*4f, 58. S*4b, 59. P*7b, 60. Px3e, 61. P-6f, 62. N*8e, 63. P-7a+, 64. Nx7g+, 65. Nx7g, 66. S*7f, 67. N*8i, 68. G*5i, 69. K-6h, 70. B-4h+, 71. +P-7b, 72. +B-5h, 73. K-7i, 74. +B-6i, 75. K-8h, 76. +Bx7h, 77. Kx7h, 78. G*6g, 79. K-8h, 80. Gx7g, 81. Nx7g, 82. Sx7g+, sente resigns (diagram)
The final tournament bracket is shown below.
Other Sente won 27 (a little more than 55%) of the 49 games. The average number of moves for the main tournament games was 122. The most moves played in a single game was 212 (Rd. 2, Suzuki 8d vs. Takazaki 6d) while the fewest moves played was 77 (Rd. 2, Ōishi 6d vs. Namekata 8d). There were no replays resulting from or , and there were no disqualifications due to illegal moves or time forfeits.